Butter-cutter.



No. 865,447. PATENTED SEPT. 10, .1907.

R. F. STEWART.

BUTTER CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED FBB.12,1907.

necessary to separate the entire block into the indi- BUTTER-CUTTER.

510. 865,447. Specification of Application filed February 12,

To all witmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD F. S'ruwan'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pocantico Hills. in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Butter- Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to devices for cutting up masses of soft, easily divided substances. and has for its object the provision of a cheap, readily manipulable instrumentalit y which may serve thepurpose of the individual user who may wish to sub-divide a block of substance into smaller portions of uniform and symmetrical shape. 7

More particularly is the device intended for use in cutting tip-blocks or prints of biltter into individual pats, and it is in connection with this use of the device that I shall explain my invention. although this application, it will be nnderstot-al, is merely for illustrative purposes and 1 do not limit the nse'of my invention to the part ieular adaptation of'it herein shown and described.

ln cutting up prints or blocks of butter into individual pats'for serving. it is desirable that the work be cleanly and expeditiously performed. eliminating so far as possible the necessity of handling the product, and it is with the object of providing a device pos ing the characteristics mentioned that l have devised the present instrumcntality. It is desirable, furthermore. that the device shall be of such character that it may be readily cleaned, and preferably its construction should be such that after the block or mass of butter has been placed therein, it may either be immediately severed into the individual pats a whole or it may be leftin the cutter so that if it be not vidual pats, there may be cut therefrom such portions as are needed for immediate use.

ln order that the invention may be umlerstood by those skilled in the art, to whom this disclosure is addressed, I have shown in the accompanying drawing one embodiment of my invention, and since it is obvious that this showing is merely illustrative of one physical expression of myinvention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact details shown in the drawing and hereinafter described, as'l regard all obvious mechanical variations and equivalent expedients for the construction here disclosed as within the purview of my invention, except, of course, in so far as I amlimited by the prior art to which'my invention belongs. A

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a butter c'uttirlg device made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken at right-angles to the sectional view in Fig. 2 to illustrate one of the cutting operations. Fig.

{Jitters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1907.

907. Serial No. 356.986.

4 is a transverse section to show the block sustaining plunger. Fig. 5 is a perspective of a mass of material divided by means of my cutter.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals. like numbers indicating like parts in the several views. 2 indicates the base-boarder bottom of the cutter, which. in the embodiment of the invention herein shown. is made of wood. preferably.some non-odorous and tasteless wood to guard against containination of the material being cut. this bottom 2 being longitudinally slotted as at 3 for about half-its length (see Fig. 2): the

- remaining portion of the bottom 2 being provided on its upper face with a series of sawcuts or k -rfs for a purpose which will presently appear.

While I have shown and tlt cribed bottom 221s being made of wood in the present embodiment of my inven tion, this being desirable for the reason that it furnishesa strong rigid base upon which to mount the other parts of the cutting box, yet it will be under- -stood that this bottom might. be made of metal the same as the sides and top of the box if this should be found to be desirable. Mounted upon this basedrounl 2 or bottom, is the box portion of the cutter whiclris preferably formed for convenience in na nufacture of two similar shaped metal pieces which form the sides and top of the cutting box, these box portions being secured in any suitable manner. as by nails or other fastening devices 6 to the base-board 2, the top webs of these box portions which, as will be seen, cover and inclose substantially one-half the cutting box, being tied together by means of a transverse strip 7, which is riveted in place as shown.

Preferably the side members; are formed of metal, and l prefer to use aluminium as the material. for the reason that this metal does not rust or corrode, and may be easily kept clean and sweet, so that all danger of fouling or contaminating the products is eliminated.

' It will'be observed that the covering portions of the box members 5 are slightly separated as at 8 so asto form a slot which is in line with and opposed to the slot 3 in the bottom 20f the box, The sides of the box are likewise slotted as shown at 9 so that the inclosed end of the cutting box. as will be seen, is provided with coincident slots. the planes of. which are at right angles to each other, the entering mouths of these slits being preferably beveled outwardly to facilitate entrance of the cuttingtool which will be hereinafter referred to.

The inclosed portion of the cutting box in the'embodi- I a tion of the cutting box.

which consists of the spring bow having stretched across its fork a cutting wire, which wire, when drawn through the slots 8 and 9 will cut the block or print into four equal parts on the lines indicated in Fig. 5. In order to hold the print in position din'ing this longitudi nal cutting and prevent its being shifted or slid through the box, I provide the heador abutment 11 provided with ahandle, by means of which the operator may hold it in the position shown in Fig. 1, against the end of theprint, To insure a complete severance of the block,

, position of the head 11 so that it will take the position shown in Fig. 2, will force the four blocks into which the print has been cut through to the open-topped por- The sides of this end of the box are slotted as at 13 with any desired number of slots, de-

pendent on the size and number of the pats desired,

which slots 13 areopposed, and coincide with the kerfs 4 in thcbase-board 2 hereinbefore referred to, the slots 13 being beveled out at the upper ends as shown, to permit the ready entrance of cutting wire of the tool 10. When the four longitudinal blocks into which the print has been divided, are brought to position in the opentopped portionol' the cutting box, the cutter 10 will be forced down through the slots 13, and the four blocks will be severed along the line of the slots into individual pats of the character shown in Fig. 5, the cutting wire of the tool 10 dropping into the kerl's 4 so as to insure the complete severance of the four blocks into individual pats. It will be obvious that this box may be used either to cut up the print into pat-s as a whole, or that it may be used to cut up the blocks into pats as they are needed ior use, the device being of such dimensions that it may readily be placed in the refrigerator after the print has once been put in place for cutting up and may be kept until such time as another portion is needed. I p v The device isso simple in construction that it may be kept clean with small exertion, it being necessary only to dip the same in hot water to thoroughly clcanscit,'

troublethat arises from breakage of wires; and, furthermore, where the butter is forced past the cutting instrumentality in contra-distinction to forcing the cutting in struinentality through the butter, this pressure against portion of which is provided with longitudinal cutter receiving slots, the other portion of said box having transverse cutter-receiving slots.

2. In a device of the class described, a cutter box, one

portion of which is provided with longitudinal cutterreceiving slots arranged in planes at an angle to each other, the other portionof said box having a plurality of transverse cutter-receiving slots lying in planes at right angles to said longitudinal slots.

3. In a device of the class described, a cutter box having an inclosed portion provided with longitudinal cutterreceivingfslots arranged in planes at right angles to each other; and an open-topped portion the side walls of which are provided with transverse cutter-receivingslots.

4. In a device of the class described and in combination, a cutter box slotted longitudinally through a portion of its length and having transverse slots in the walls of its remaining portion, critter-receiving grooves in its face, and a cutting tool adapted to traverse the longitudinal and transverse slots.

5. In a device of the class described and in combination, a cutter box having longitudinal slots throughout a portion of its length and transverse slots in the walls of the remaining portion, acutter-receiving abutment having cutter-receiving grooves therein of gradually increasing depth toward their ends, and a cutting tool adapted to traverse the slots in said cutting box.

6. In a device of the class described and in combination, a cutter box having cutter'receiving slots traversing its walls. a cutter-receiving abutment having a groove in the face thereof to receive the cutting tool, and a cutting tool adapted to traverse saidcutter-receiving slots and enter said grooved abutmentv I 7. In a device of the class described and'in combination, a cutter box having cutter-receiving slots, an abutment having a cutter-receiving groove of unequal depth, and a cutting 'tool adapted to traverse said slots and enter said grooved abutment.

8. In a device of the class described and in combination, a cutter box having cutter-receiving slots, an abutment having a groove which gradually increases in depth from its center to its ends, and a cutting tool adapted to traverse said slots and enter said grooved abutment.

9. In a device of the class described and in combination, an open ended'cutter box inclosed on its four longitudinal sides for substantially half its length, and having longitudinal slots in the walls of said inclosed portion,

the planes of which are substantially at right angles to each other, said box throughout the remainder of its length being open at its top and having its side walls pro vided with a plurality of coincident slots, and a cutting tool adapted to traverse the said longitudinal and transverse slots.

1Ov In a device of the class described, a base-boardlslota cutter-receiving abutment having.

ted longitudinally through a portion of its length-and kerfed transversely of its other. portion, and inclosing walls carried by said baseboard and provided with longitudinal slots and transverse slots cooperating with sald slotted and kerfed baseboard, respectively.

In testimony whereof I have herei into set my presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RICHARD F. 's'rnwAn'r.

hand in Witnesses: WIIJLiAM A. PRATT, Kiunnnrnn C. GLANVILLE. 

